See the brilliance around you.

On April 18, 2014 I officially began performing in Second Life.

The venue was Guthrie's Folk Club and the turn-out was better than I expected (thanks to my good friend Kiesta Aljon). Also, keep in mind that I've been a member of Second Life for 10 years and have been planning on performing all that time so.., it was long overdue!

Performing original songs in front of people has always been challenging for me as I do struggle a bit with stage fright (*gulp*). In the past I've struggled with live performance but that was with a crowd directly in front of me. In a virtual world I am in my own studio - alone - playing for people all over the world who can hear me but can't actually see me.

So ~ there should be no stage fright, right? Wrong.

I was surprised at how much adrenaline coursed through my veins as I was getting close to going live. Ten minutes before show time I was way more nervous than I thought I would be and had to do a few jumping jacks and slap myself a few times to say "knock it off!!". It worked. Sure I was still nervous as the show began but I was good enough ~ mind over matter won the battle.

After performing two separate hour long shows last weekend, I've learned a few things and thought I would share.

First ~ don't take it too lightly.

My attitude going in was that I was playing in my studio and would be able to just plow through it, no biggie. The reality is, a show is a show and must be rehearsed and figured out beforehand. You must be ready to knock 'em out from the start. Coming across like an amateur is not acceptable.

Secondly, there are many aspects of an online live performance to be ready for.

Is your musical equipment functioning properly? Is your audio stream ready to broadcast? Do you have the proper virtual world software interfaces open to efficiently interact with the crowd? Do you have water/tea at your side? What happens if you break a string? Do you have a backup guitar setup and ready to go? Are you in the right frame of mind and ready to schmooze the crowd and work on building your fan base? Do you have your set-list visible?

Finally, a virtual world performer should be ready to interact with people after the show ends.

Shaking hands (so to speak) and chit-chatting post-performance is a powerful way to establish connections with those who enjoyed your music. Going viral in a virtual world happens through word-of-mouth so, even though I tend to want to run off after a show, I realize it's important to do the PR work while the crowd is buzzing. Some people will want to tell you how they feel about your music and you should be ready to listen. Remember that you never know who is behind an avatar. Maybe an A&R rep from Capital? Maybe it's a music producer from Nashville? Who knows, it might even be your next ex (grins).

As of late I've been haunted by the amazing song 'The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll' by Bob Dylan and, after reading about it in depth today, thought I'd write an appreciation.

With a dry, sparse, heart-felt 1964 folk energy, Bob Dylan sings about a wealthy white jerk who, while in a drunken stupor, physically and verbally attacked a 51 year old black woman who subsequently died later that night. The song/recording is haunting and relentless, forcing the story into the listeners consciousness.

After hearing it yesterday for the first time in a long time, the song won't leave me. It's chorus rings in my mind ~ the lyrics put together in such a poetic and inspired manner, Dylan's magic resounds.

Wikipedia says, ""The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" is a topical song written by the American musician Bob Dylan. Recorded on October 23, 1963, the song was released on Dylan's 1964 album The Times They Are a-Changin' and gives a generally factual account of the killing of 51-year-old barmaid Hattie Carroll by William Devereux "Billy" Zantzinger (whom the song calls "William Zanzinger"), a wealthy young tobacco farmer from Charles County, Maryland, and his subsequent sentence to six months in a county jail."

Take a few minutes and have a listen. Think about his melody, think about how the lyrics are written, how he repeats certain phrases, how his voice and guitar create such a unique sound. Read the lyrics below and go on the journey as he unravels the injustice and makes it plain how complex the tragedy truly is.

William Zanzinger killed poor Hattie CarrollWith a cane that he twirled around his diamond ring fingerAt a Baltimore hotel society gath’rin’And the cops were called in and his weapon took from himAs they rode him in custody down to the stationAnd booked William Zanzinger for first-degree murderBut you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fearsTake the rag away from your faceNow ain’t the time for your tears

William Zanzinger, who at twenty-four yearsOwns a tobacco farm of six hundred acresWith rich wealthy parents who provide and protect himAnd high office relations in the politics of MarylandReacted to his deed with a shrug of his shouldersAnd swear words and sneering, and his tongue it was snarlingIn a matter of minutes on bail was out walkingBut you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fearsTake the rag away from your faceNow ain’t the time for your tears

Hattie Carroll was a maid of the kitchenShe was fifty-one years old and gave birth to ten childrenWho carried the dishes and took out the garbageAnd never sat once at the head of the tableAnd didn’t even talk to the people at the tableWho just cleaned up all the food from the tableAnd emptied the ashtrays on a whole other levelGot killed by a blow, lay slain by a caneThat sailed through the air and came down through the roomDoomed and determined to destroy all the gentleAnd she never done nothing to William ZanzingerBut you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fearsTake the rag away from your faceNow ain’t the time for your tears

In the courtroom of honor, the judge pounded his gavelTo show that all’s equal and that the courts are on the levelAnd that the strings in the books ain’t pulled and persuadedAnd that even the nobles get properly handledOnce that the cops have chased after and caught ’emAnd that the ladder of law has no top and no bottomStared at the person who killed for no reasonWho just happened to be feelin’ that way without warnin’And he spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguishedAnd handed out strongly, for penalty and repentanceWilliam Zanzinger with a six-month sentenceOh, but you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fearsBury the rag deep in your faceFor now’s the time for your tears